SEATTLE — A University of Washington earth sciences professor says the legendary noisemaking of Seattle Seahawks’ hometown fans registered on a nearby seismometer with roughly the same energy as a magnitude 1 or 2 earthquake during Seattle’s 34-7 Monday night victory over the New Orleans Saints.

John Vidale is also director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. He says it’s hard to compare the fans’ half minute of stomping, jumping and shouting during a first quarter fumble return for a touchdown to the quick “pop” of a small earthquake. Still he says, “the energy is very roughly the same.”

The UW seismometer in question is located near CenturyLink Field.

Vidale says it also recorded “three or four more good bursts,” always coinciding with Seahawks’ touchdowns.

The same seismometer recorded fans’ noisy reaction to Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Quake” back on Jan. 8, 2011, when Lynch ran 67 yards for a touchdown that clinched a playoff victory over the Saints. Vidale says his lab didn’t quantify that one with a magnitude.

What's Your Take?

The Seahawks (and I've loved their name since the beginning) are so fortunate to have such rabid and LOUD fans. Those folks in Seattle are truly the 12th man. I've been a true Blue NY Giant fan since 1963 (can't afford season tix) but the times I've been to either the old or new stadium it's neither raucous or loud. It's mainly generations of fans that have been going to games all of their lives that they either leave early to beat the traffic and/or NEVER stand up and scream at the top of their lungs for the entire game. Something that 80,000+ fans were more than happy to do last night. But on the bright side - I've made up my mind to go to at least one Seattle Seahawk game to be a fan for a day and scream at the top of my lungs for 60 minutes. Sad I can do that at MetLIfe stadium for our beloved Giants...